Mulberries

What human studies say about mulberries

• Glycaemic control · Randomized controlled trial, 24 participants · 2017
  Post-prandial self-monitored glucose was lower than placebo (18.2%), but A1C did not differ between mulberry leaf extract and placebo. Serum creatinine rose about 15% in the extract group. Limitation: Small pilot: only 17 of 24 enrolled participants completed the study, limiting statistical power. PubMed 28619294
• Blood lipids · Randomized controlled trial · 2017
  Compared with placebo, mulberry extract was associated with lower triglycerides and VLDL cholesterol, higher HDL cholesterol, and lower hs-CRP. Markers of insulin metabolism were not affected. Limitation: Short 12-week trial in a specific kidney-disease population; extract doses are not comparable to eating mulberries, and results may not apply to other groups. PubMed 29190604
• Oral mucositis · Randomized controlled trial, 80 participants · 2017
  Incidence and severity of radiation-induced oral mucositis were lower with mulberry molasses plus radiotherapy than with radiotherapy alone (HR 0.63, 95% CI 0.40-0.98). Quality-of-life scores did not differ between groups. Limitation: The comparator was radiotherapy alone with no placebo, so participants likely knew their allocation. The authors state that further studies are needed to confirm the results. PubMed 28677999
• Post-meal blood glucose · Randomized crossover trial, 37 participants · 2024
  All three doses were associated with lower glucose iAUC (30%, 33%, 32%) and insulin iAUC (31%, 34%, 38%) over 120 minutes compared with placebo after a mixed meal. Limitation: Single-meal acute responses in healthy people only; the study did not assess longer-term glycaemic control or people with diabetes, and the extract is not a whole-food dose. PubMed 38892603

Most studies used extracts or doses that differ from home cooking. Full details in the Nourilo Research Library.